CHICAGO, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) awarded Meridian Health Plan a contract for the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative (MMAI). Through the MMAI, Meridian Health Plan is positioned to provide the full spectrum of Medicare and Medicaid Covered Services through an integrated care delivery system in Greater Chicago. This initiative serves Seniors and Adults with Disabilities who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid – "dual-eligibles."

Meridian Health Plan will operate as Meridian Complete under this contract. The MMAI is a partnership between Illinois and CMS that seeks to improve the quality of care and increase benefit coordination for dual-eligible enrollees by testing new operational models for efficacy in better aligning the financial incentives of Medicare and Medicaid. The Illinois MMAI is still subject to federal CMS approval.

"We are honored to be a part of this pioneering joint venture between the State of Illinois and CMS, aimed at utilizing coordination, accountability and innovation to improve health outcomes, increase quality and improve independence in the community for this special population," said Michael Cotton, President of Meridian Health Plan of Illinois. "We pride ourselves on our interdisciplinary approach to care coordination centered on the member and their personal needs to maximize access to resources to achieve these shared goals."

Meridian Complete will operate in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake and Will counties. To qualify for Meridian Complete, enrollees must be eligible for Medicaid benefits, Medicare Parts A and B and reside in the service area.

Meridian Complete is the third line of business in Illinois for Meridian. Meridian Health Plan, an Illinois Medicaid health plan since 2008, will open Meridian Advantage Plan of Illinois (HMO SNP), a Medicare Advantage Plan for dual-eligible beneficiaries, on January 1, 2013.

Meridian Health Plan is a physician-owned, physician-operated health plan with extensive experience in its subsidiary operations in Michigan, Illinois and Iowa and will begin providing services in New Hampshire in 2013. Meridian's affiliates include Medicaid and Medicare health plans and MeridianRx, a Pharmacy Benefit Management company. Meridian Health Plan currently serves over 300,000 Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.mhplan.com.